For those of you who were not able to come to San Diego for Comicon... or get into Hall H for the GAME OF THRONES panel... here's the video that kicked off the proceedings, a tribute to all those we have loved (or not) and lost during the first three seasons of the show.

Seen all together like that, it does make me seem rather a bloody bastard, doesn't it?

In my own (feeble) defense, however, let me point out that Irri, Rakharo, the Thirteen of Qarth, Xaro Xhoan Daxos, Mago (not seen in the video), and Pyat Pree are all still alive and well (more or less) in the books as of the end of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. Like the guys in Spinal Tap, David and Dan do like to turn things up to 11.

Robb's wife is alive in the novels too, but Jeyne Westerling is an entirely different person than Talisa Maegyr with an entirely different fate. Ros does not exist in the books, but of the characters she replaced, Kyra is dead, but Chataya and Alayaya are still around.

As to where we go from here... season four is coming, and no one is safe on GAME OF THRONES.

Not even those who you think might be safe for another book or two, from reading my novels.